Our primary goal is to use Y-DNA to identify genetically distinct variants of the Duke surname and enable branches of these families to better document their relationships to one another. The study helps researchers to eliminate lineages that are not their own, and thus improves the ability to focus research. It is also useful for those developing a model of branches of individual Duke families.

However, recently we have not been getting many new tests or upgrades. In order to make more progress on our ancestors, we need more males with Duke Y-DNA to test. If you have already tested into a known Duke subgroup, please consider upgrading to Big Y or at least the Y-111. Only about 1/3 of our Y-DNA testers have gone to the 111 level or above.

With the current capabilities of the Big Y test, we are seeking to narrow down those branches even further into modern times. With the right test subjects, the Big Y can help provide a fairly recent time estimate for your most recent common ancestor, and it may even be possible to identify sub-branches within a family group based on additional mutations. The Big Y differs from standard Y-DNA STR testing in that it not only tests up to 700 STR markers that you don't get with the Y-111, but it also looks at thousands of individual SNPs (mutations) on the Y chromosome. Two men sharing the same mutation on a particular SNP can help form a new branch on the haplotree that corresponds to their common paternal ancestor.

Additionally, if you are a member of this group, please make sure that you have uploaded or entered a basic pedigree to show how you connect to the Duke family. This does not have to be your full detailed tree or reveal living people or recent relatives—there are better tools for that—but putting your pedigree in will help us know how to group you and will also help your matches determine how they might connect to you. Less than 10% have entered significant information into their family trees. At the very least, we need you to enter your Earliest Known Ancestors on your profile. About 1/3 of our test subjects do not have any information entered about their paternal ancestor.

Also remember that without your permission, some of your data may be hidden from group administrators, including your family tree and your matches. You can set this up on the Project Preferences page, but we recommend the "Limited" setting. You also have to turn on the "Opt in to Sharing" option to be included on the group's public DNA results page or on the group's time tree.

While there are members of the study with mtDNA and autosomal results, the Duke surname study may not provide any particular interpretive benefits to these individuals. However, these individuals are still welcome to join and may benefit from being able to connect with others in their family who have done Y-DNA testing.